Chapter 32
Jade
Jade could admit that before April, she really hadn’t thought very much about the impact of sleeping with any of the women in her past. Sure, connections were made strong enough for lust to take over and a fun night to be had by both involved, but she never really thought about how the other woman was feeling after the fact.
She’d barely stopped before to think about her own feelings each time.
With April though? Well, Jade couldn’t help but think about what she must have been feeling after the night before. She knew she certainly was taking a greater pause to think about her own feelings than she ever had in her life.
She had spent the past twenty minutes sitting at her kitchen island, staring out the window since April had left. Last night was perfect.
She had been several women’s ‘first’ in the past, but without that strong emotional connection, she’d assumed the role of guide and teacher. No big deal. Whatever they needed to either realize they were, or weren’t, into women.
Last night? Wow. That was something else entirely.
Jade knew that everything she and April had from that first night at the bar was a first. What April didn’t realize was that last night was as big of a first for Jade as it was for April.
It was the first time Jade had slept with a woman she had such a deep emotional connection with.
That made everything feel so much...more.
The kisses felt more like promises of what was to come. The touches were more tender yet sure than she’d ever experienced. The looks between them spoke more to one another than any words possibly could have.
As they’d fallen asleep, Jade knew more than ever: April was it for her.
Later that afternoon, Jade had arranged a video call with Emily. It had been a few months since they had last managed to match schedules. They were forever missing calls and replying to texts hours after receiving responses. Jade had a lot to catch her best friend up on.
Emily answered on the third ring, then proceeded to drop her phone, grumble about doing so, then hung up as she was finally saying “hello”. Jade laughed.
The call connected properly on the second attempt, and a sheepish Emily smiled at her friend.
“Sorry about that, I thought I had sat it in the stand properly...apparently not.” Emily blushed and Jade laughed.
“That’s ok, it happens to the best of us. How have you been?” Jade asked with a warm smile to her oldest friend.
“Busy, really busy, but good,” Emily said before continuing.
“Everything went so well with Claire that I continued working on her tour until she finished two weeks ago. Then I jumped on to another author’s mini book tour for the past ten days.
I’ll be home next weekend. Finally.” Emily said with an exhausted exhale and eyes briefly closed.
“Well, hey, at least you’re keeping busy and out of trouble.” Jade winked at her friend.
“That’s just it; it’s been far too long since I last got in trouble.
Which means it’s been far too long since I’ve had a break from mother dearest about finding someone to, and I quote, ‘settle down and get started on giving me some grandbabies before I’m too old to remember their names’.
” Emily rolled her eyes with a groan as Jade let out a belly laugh at her friend.
Emily’s Mom, Louise, was great. Really. But because she had Emily later in life, it meant she’d been desperate for grandchildren ever since Emily turned twenty. But at least she waited that long, that’s what she kept reminding her best friend anyway.
“Nothing like a loving reminder from dear old Lou about my never-ending single status.” Emily added.
“Well,” Jade started, then cleared her throat before continuing. “It might not be you who’s met the person you want to be having babies with, but...”
“Ohmigod,” Emily notably sat up from wherever she had previously been sitting, and her eyes nearly bulged out her head at the prospect of the gossip Jade was very much aware was about to be heading Emily’s way.
“Don’t tell me the woman you’ve been hanging out with finally compares to your dream date from the last time we hung out?
You know, when you were a complete idiot and didn’t get her number?
” The grin on her friend’s face would give the Cheshire Cat a run for its money.
“Not exactly," Jade said, looking away from the screen to play with her friend a little before admitting the truth. Using all her self-control to stop her own grin from spreading across her face.
“You need to let it go, Jae. Just take the memories of what was a great night, and move on. It’s not like you to linger on someone like this.” Emily said, before catching the twitch at the side of Jade’s mouth. “Right, what are you hiding?!”
“As I was saying,” Jade began. “It’s not exactly the case that the woman I’ve been hanging out with recently, compares to the woman from the bar.”
“How so?” Emily asked, with her face twisted in confusion.
“You see, they can’t compare,” Jade let the grin spread, “Because they're the exact same woman.”
“WHAT?!” Emily screamed through the phone at her friend.
“I found her,” Jade sighed in relief. “I found April.”
“Wait, what? How?” Emily clearly was having trouble processing, and Jade couldn’t help but laugh.
“The last time we spoke, you didn’t have any way of contacting her.
Then over the past while you’ve been messaging about this woman you met while on tour and how she’s amazing. How could you have kept this from me?”
“For the very simple reason, my friend, that I wanted to see your facial reaction to my news. A text wouldn’t have let me experience this!” Jade laughed.
“Screw you and your twisted ideas, Jade.” Emily huffed, then a smile spread across her face when she saw the look on Jade’s. “So, this is what happy looks like on you then?”
“No, this is what contentment looks like on me, Em. She’s it. It’s that simple. Even if it’s not quite so simple for our life right now.” Jade admitted. She then brought Emily fully up to date with everything that had happened, knowing Emily wouldn’t tell a single soul.
“I don’t know what to say, Jae. It’s great that you’ve found each other again, but I can’t imagine how hard it is to live in hiding with her.” Emily said.
“It’s been remarkably easy, given the hectic schedules of tournaments and training.
Whenever a player isn’t competing, training, or recovering, they pretty much haul up in their hotel room.
So, it’s not like her behavior on tour has changed that others would notice.
Will and I are kept busy most of the time anyway, so it’s a lot of texts and calls.
We video chat on nights before matches or hang out in her room and just talk for hours otherwise.
It’s like a crash-course of a relationship in a happy little bubble, and I just can’t seem to learn enough about her. ” Jade admitted with a smile.
“So, you’re really going to be getting the grandbabies going before me, huh?” Emily asked with a smirk.
“I don’t know so much about that, but Em, she’s the one.” Jade blushed at that.
“Well, I never thought I’d see the day Casanova settled down, but Jae, I’m so here for it! Oh, speaking of 'the one’, will you be using my connections with Raul for your own bridal outfit then?” Emily grinned.
“Em, the guy is a genius! I can’t believe what he came up with for the three of us. Seriously, Lana’s is the outfit we were stumped over, and he came up with something even I would consider wearing. You know, if I was more femme.” Jade added with a chuckle.
“I’m glad things worked out with him for you all.
But I expect to be present for your own wedding outfit design and fitting.
You know, when you’re so obviously going to marry this girl that I’ve yet to meet.
Which, as your best friend, needs to be rectified at your earliest possible convenience.
” Emily added with a smirk, which soon morphed into a full-blown laugh when she saw the sheer lobster color of Jade’s face at the mention of possibly marrying April in the future.
Give it time, it’s all I could ever want.